Originally from Brussels, these high school sweethearts followed their wanderlust hearts to move overseas back in 2014 and now reside happily in Australia. But with nostalgia calling them home, they tied the knot in an industrial warehouse in Belgium. Valerie and David brought warmth and intention to the urban space, and the raw joy from everyone present is evident through every notch of their wedding day timeline. We’re entirely convinced every wedding should have a post-kiss amaretto shot now too. Our own Damien Milan captured the memories flawlessly, and you’ll just love the personal details they incorporated throughout!

How did he propose?We’re both very down to earth, and love things the simple way. Both David and I had been out with colleagues on a Saturday night, separately. We both had a pretty big night, and ended up walking home together, grabbing a “drunk kebab” on the way home. At home on the couch, around 4AM in the morning, David proposed to me when both of us had a bit too much to drink, and just when I got covered in kebab sauce! His grandmother had handed him the engagement ring a year before, assuring him that he would one day want to give it to me. He kept it hidden in our tiny Potts Point apartment studio all that time, and decided then and there that this crazy, happy night was the night he knew for sure he wanted to marry me! We took a brilliant engagement selfie with a glass of champagne in our hands, and myself bawling my eyes out. My friends keep haunting me with this hilarious photo of a memorable night.

What style and feel did you envision for your wedding? Did you have a theme or color scheme?We’re both a fan of a more down to earth style in simplicity. Less is more! And with David being an Design Engineer/Architect, it felt natural to go with an industrial style wedding. There are so many beautiful wedding themes on Instagram, and Pinterest, but the industrial theme was pretty much the only style we felt suited us perfectly.

Was there any DIY project involved?I (David) designed our Save-the-dates and our wedding invites. And we fabricated tiny little bottles of Amaretto, with a small paper note and a short pencil attached, so that our guests could write a wish or memory for us during the ceremony. This was an impulsive idea but it worked out so well! We were able to read lovely little notes from people we love for a few days in a row after the big day. It was so sweet!

What was your favorite memory from the day?Both of us enjoyed our moment alone in the car, a retro white Porsche we borrowed from a friend, driving to Town Hall for our civil ceremony in the morning. It was a moment just between us, we laughed and had the best time, calming each other’s nerves just being ourselves. But then also our ceremony in the afternoon, where we read our vows to each other, and the celebrations during the night were an awesome part of the day! It’s hard to choose one moment when everything went exactly how we always imagined it.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now?Just go with your own feeling, and make it the wedding you both want it to be! Don’t listen to anyone else, or never be afraid to make your own decisions. It’s your day, and no one else’s! People that can’t be happy for you, and you know will be negative, shouldn’t deserve to be there. And also, less is more! Be yourself, don’t get carried away with tacky silly splurges, because they’re just not worth it!

What songs did you play at your wedding?Walking down the aisle, we had ‘Crepuscolo Sul Mare’ by Piero Umiliani, the song that starts off the movie ‘Ocean’s Twelve’. Pleasant, beautiful, but not too emotional, to keep things light! Our first dance was ‘I need my girl’, by The National. We only chose it a day before the wedding, but were very happy with the result!